List of Philippine provincial name etymologies

The provinces of the Philippines are mainly named after geographic features like rivers and islands, after people or individuals, or they bear a name of older local origin.

Directions in Spanish

Some provinces are prefixed/suffixed with a Spanish word denoting one of the four cardinal directions. These are:
*"Norte" = "north" (del Norte means "of the north")
*"Sur" = "south" (del Sur means "of the south"
*"Oriental" = "east"
*"Occidental" = "west"

Provincial names

Notes

References

Books

*Citation
last=Veneracion
first=Jaime Balcos
title=Kasaysayan ng Bulakan
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=r80eAAAAMAAJ&q=kasaysayan+ng+bulacan+burakan&dq=kasaysayan+ng+bulacan+burakan&pgis=1
year=1986
publisher=Bahay-Saliksikan ng Kasaysayan
page=21
*Cite book |title=Tracing Your Philippine Ancestors |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=C-toAQAACAAJ |author=Lee W. Vance |coauthors=Violeta C. Canon |year=1980 |publisher=Stevenson's Genealogical Center |isbn=0960852808

Journals

*Citation
title=University of Manila Journal of East Asiatic Studies
year=1953
page=446
ref=UMJEAS_1953

Other sources

*Citation
last=Borrinaga
first=Rolando O.
url=http://www.geocities.com/rolborr/bilname.html
date=November 25, 1999
year=1999
title=How Biliran got its name
publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer
accessdate=1999-11-22 (Link goes to the personal website of the author.)
*Citation
last=Soriano
first=D.H.
coauthors=Ramon R. Marcelino
title=The Philippines--Pearl of the Orient
year=1981
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=HNAeAAAAMAAJ
publisher=Islas Filipinas Pub. Co.
*Citation
last=Borrinaga
first=Rolando O.
url=http://www.geocities.com/bilirannews/whatname.html
date=October 5, 2002
year=2002
title=Lost meanings in Biliran
publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer
accessdate=2002-10-05 (Link goes to the personal website of the author.)